A Happy Ending
by Yasu Uchiha
Summary: Post-Last Sacrifice. New friends, a bit of chaos, and, perhaps, a truly happy ending. Rose/Dimitri, Lissa/Christian, Adrian/OC.
1. Chapter 1

**Yes, this is a post-Last Sacrifice fanfic. Because, you know, there aren't **_**enough**_** of them already. **grin** Anyway, There are a LOT of spoilers, so don't read unless you want to be totally left behind… or, y'know, if you've read the book.**

**I'm not following Richelle's first-person style. It's gonna be told in third-person, because it'll be too hard to get the whole story out the way it's supposed to be, especially since (spoiler!) Lissa and Rose's bond is gone. (Told ya there'd be a lot of 'em.) So, kick back, relax, and enjoy!**

**All main characters, save my own, belong to Richelle Mead. This is done to soothe my muse and the voices in my head.**

Rose pulled up short in the doorway. Her first thought was, '_this can't be happening, not so soon…_' but then she realized she was overreacting.

Dimitri sat at one end of the couch, a Moroi female – around 21 – lying across the couch, her head in his lap. Her eyes were closed, tightened at the corners, and her face was paler than a usual Moroi's. Dimitri was running his hand through her long black hair, the light catching the stands and making it look like black silk. The girl wasn't there for romance, Rose quickly realized, but for comfort.

A dhampir almost barreled into her as she came sliding down the hall. "Molnija!" The dhampir woman snapped, the same age as the Moroi woman. "_There_ you are! Can you _not_ disappear like that?"

"_Some_one's in need of another healing," the Moroi woman, Molnija, said dryly. "Besides, you know I'm fine. We're at _Court_, Natsya. And I'm with _Dimka_. And you'd be the first to know if I was in any danger anyway, re_mem_ber? I'm _fine_."

The dhampir's voice took on a worried edge. "Neej, you need to eat. Food. Real food. Blood would do you good too." She glanced up at Dimitri. "Can you convince her to eat, Dimitri? She hasn't had anything since the plane back from France."

"Molya," Dimitri said in a soft voice, "You need to eat."

Eyes still closed, she asked, "Will _you_ get it for me, Dimka?"

"I can't."

"Why not?" Her voice sounded petulant.

Dimitri smothered a laugh. "Molya, your head is on my legs."

"About that," Rose said, finally piping up, "why?"

Dimitri looked up at her, a smile spreading across his face. "Roza," he murmured.

Molnija's eyes finally opened, deep sapphire eyes fixing on Dimitri, still slightly unfocused. "Roza? _Your_ Roza? _The_ Roza?"

"Rose Hathaway," the dhampir said with a grin. "I've heard about you and your badass rep. Nice to finally meet the woman behind the stories." She proffered her hand. "Anastacia Rinaldi."

"Hello," Rose said. "Wait… Rinaldi? Do you know Mia Rinaldi?"

"Yeah. She's my husband's little cousin."

"_Husband_?" Rose said, shocked.

"Yeah. Bit of a stir that caused, but his family took to me real fast, and they all love me. People don't really mind as much when a non-royal Moroi marries a dhampir, as long as the dhampir continues with their guardian work. I'm pretty sure Nija won't put me in danger should I get pregnant, though."

"Don't get your hopes up, Natsya," Molnija said. She sat up slowly, a hand to her head. "Oooh ... that hurt more than it should."

Anastacia was at Molnija's side immediately. "What have you been doing that you shouldn't be?" she demanded.

"Mmmm... Besides drinking and smoking and reading the auras around here?" She grinned wryly. "Nothing."

"Molnija..."

"Nuh-uh, none of that from you, Natsya."

Anastacia sighed. "Food. Now."

"You offering?"

"Nija..."

"Kidding, kidding..." She started to her feet, and both Anastacia and Dimitri helped her up. "Hey, why don't you and Roza aid us on our exploration of the grounds? You've spent a lot of time here, haven't you?"

Dimitri glanced at Rose.

"Sure," Rose said. "That'd be... interesting." She fell in step next to Dimitri as Anastacia and Molnija started off at a leisurely pace towards the café. "Where do you know her from?" she asked in a low voice.

"Molya? She's a childhood friend. She and Sonya were close in elementary school years, but they started to drift in junior high and eventually split in high school when Molya started acting out. I'd befriended her as my sister's friend, but I still viewed her as a little sister, even after she and Sonya split. She kept in touch with the family, but mostly me. We found we had a lot in common, and so we wrote each other a lot, even when we were separated. She actually met Natsya through some of my connections."

"How?"

"Dimka's charge was friends with Natasha, whose guardian was Natsya's older sister." Molnija's voice was emotionless. "That was rough."

"Besides the fact that Nat was hitting on Dimitri the entire time?"

Molnija laughed. "Oh, yeah. And he was _so_ not interested. But..."

"Yeah, Neej. I know."

"What else happened?" Rose asked warily.

"My parents decided to lecture me on my... vices. I was getting a little out of control – sneaking away to drink and smoke and... other things. I was unstable, mentally and emotionally. Things were rough. Well, my parents and I never had a good relationship, and I blew up on them, screaming and raging and throwing everything I could get my hands on. I had crap aim then, of course, and... well..."

"One of the sharper things she got a hold of missed the mark," Anastacia said. "Although, had she been aiming for me, she could strike fear in anyone's mind. Killed me instantly."

"K...killed?" Rose was shocked.

"Oh, yeah. Nija felt like such crap for what she did, she ran to my side and... well. I'm sure you could figure out the rest."

"You two are bonded?"

Molnija and Anastacia nodded.

"Wow."

Just then, Christian showed up. "There you guys are. Lissa's been looking for you, Rose."

"Ooh," Molnija said excitedly. "Can we meet Queen Vasya?"

Christian raised his eyebrow. "And who would you be?"

"Molnija Badica. I'm the spirit user the Queen heard about."

**Yeah, yeah, I know, creative name for Molya. But it'll make sense soon, promise. Maybe even in the next chapter. Hope you enjoyed, and if you did, you should tell me that in a review, because I love reviews. ^^ Thanks for reading!**


	2. Chapter 2

Molnija sat on the couch, completely at ease, as if she'd sat in front of hundreds of young monarchs who wanted to know what she could do. Anastacia, in full guardian mode, stood behind her, eyes flickering around the room, focusing mainly on the doors but sometimes on the other guardians, as if they posed a threat. Molnija pulled out a pack of cigarettes, pulling one out. She didn't light it, though, nor did she put it to her lips. She watched the cigarette flicker across her fingers, engrossed in the action, waiting for Lissa to make the first move.

"So, Lady Badica, I hear you can use Spirit? And you guardian is shadow-kissed?" Lissa asked finally.

"Mmhmm. But you already knew that, _Your Majesty_. You've been there, You've done that. You understand the madness that comes with the magic. And now," Molnija looked up from her cigarette, falling eerily still, her sapphire eyes meeting Lissa's pale jade ones, "you know the dangers of that magic without another to diffuse the darkness."

Lissa and Rose both tensed. "What do you know about the bond?" Lissa asked softly.

"Oh, my dearest Queenling, I know a lot about the bond. For one, the bond is _not_ one way. You two simply didn't have it long enough to explore it. And for two, I know that I had become way too unstable to handle the magic I was unconsciously wielding that I killed someone."

Lissa's jaw dropped. "You... what?"

"Oh, she's perfectly fine now, as you can see," Molnija said, gesturing to Anastacia, "but that doesn't mean I wasn't _dangerous_." Her gaze returned to the cigarette, and she continued to send the cigarette on an obstacle course through her fingers. "You see, Your Majesty, my dear Queenling, we spirit users _need_ a bond, to keep us sane."

"And at the cost of the person you're bonded to?"

"What cost? She doesn't take more than she can handle, and I make sure I heal the darkness out of her fairly regularly. It's easy to do, once you've practiced a few times. And when we're fighting or hunting, and there's no chance of a proper healing along the way, we have plenty of silver." Molnija held up one arm; there were two silver rings on her fingers, an intricate silver bracelet, and several thin silver bangles and clinked together softly as they skittered down her arm.

"How... How dangerous _is_ it?"

"You feel the madness tugging at you now, don't you?" Molnija's voice lost the airiness it had and became all business. "Even if you're on anti-depressants, you feel the madness pulling, tugging, _whispering _to you. And the magic, just barely out of reach... it's calling to you too. You _want_ to use it, and the urge to use the magic, even at the cost of your own _sanity_, is tearing you apart."

Lissa couldn't tear her attention away from Molnija's words. She _was_ feeling all those things. "So what do I do?" she whispered.

"I'm not an advisor, my Queen," Molnija said. "I'm not saying you should go out and kill someone, just to bond yourself to them, but..." Her voice trailed off as she caught sight of a bird in the window. "Is that a raven?" she asked softly. Her airy demeanor back, she stood and wandered to the window, sliding it open and letting the bird jump onto her shoulder. She glanced at the bird, then at Lissa, then back to the bird. "But... It seems you have a willing creature to take the darkness," she said in a slightly awed voice. "How... compassionate of you." It didn't sound insulting, not exactly, but it wasn't complementary either. It seemed to be simply a statement of fact.

"I'm not going to kill a bird!" Lissa said sharply, appalled by the idea.

"Who said anything about killing a bird?" Molnija asked, her voice still spacey.

"Lissa," Rose said softly, "that's the raven you healed."

Comprehension dawned in Lissa's eyes.

Anastacia had tensed when Molnija had gone to the window, but relaxed – as much as she could – when Molnija returned to her seat with the raven. "Quite the clever bird... It's been keeping track of you, making sure you didn't do anything drastic."

"What, are you saying you can talk to animals?" Christian said sarcastically.

Molnija shook her head, his sarcasm not registering. "I can... read the birds emotions. Which, by the way, are much more complex than a normal bird's. Probably because of the Spirit."

"So..." Lissa couldn't form the words.

"So, this raven, which I say we should name Nevermore-" the bird let out a cackle-like caw at that- "Still has a bond with you, and is actually very protective of you. He's willing to take the darkness, if you're willing to keep it from driving him insane. He likes being a smart bird, see."

Lissa glanced at Rose. Their thoughts were obvious; they both thought this girl was a little bit crazy. It took Rose by surprise, then, when Dimitri seemed to believe her. "She can't _really_ understand a _bird_, can she?" Rose asked softly.

"I've seen her do crazier things, Roza," he murmured back.

"So. If the raven-"

"Nevermore."

"If _Nevermore_ is bound to me, then why hasn't he shown himself before?"

"He has," Rose said slowly. "I saw him, after..." she trailed off. "After what happened with Victor."

The room was silent for a while.

"Nevermore was waiting for the right moment," Molnija said slowly. "Having more than one being bound to you at a time can be very dangerous, Avery's proof of that. So he didn't want to interfere with the way things were. They were working, and that's what mattered. But now... with the bond between you and Roza gone... He knew he needed to step up."

The bird nodded sagely, as if agreeing with her.

"And look at him. He's adorable," Molnija added with a smile.

The bird stopped nodding.

Molnija laughed, stretching out her arm. The bird hopped down her arm carefully until he was at her wrist. "Will you accept him?" Molnija said.

Lissa hesitated a moment, then nodded, stretching out her own arm. Nevermore flew from Molnija's wrist to Lissa's arm, alighting as gently as he could. Lissa beamed happily, pulling the bird close to her. "Hello, Nevermore," she murmured. The raven stuck its black tongue out and gave her an awkward bird-kiss.

Lissa let out a tinkling laugh, light and happy.

Molnija smiled warmly. "Now, if you don't mind, my Queen, I need nourishment."

"You still haven't eaten?" Anastacia said sharply.

"We had to come see Vasya!" Molnija responded.

"Was she this impossible as a kid?" Anastacia asked Dimitri.

"Worse, Natsya. Much worse," Dimitri said.

"Way to stick up for me, Dimka," Molnija said in a fake-wounded voice.

Dimitri laughed.

"Hey, Vasya, why don't you join us?" Molnija said. "As a person. Not the queen. It'll be fun. Bring Nevermore." She smiled brightly to Lissa. "We can have a private party! Invite all your friends!"

"Are you mad?" Christian said. "Lissa's the _queen_. She can just go traipsing about like everyone else."

"Why not?" Lissa's voice was soft. "Why can't I act like everyone else? I'm just eighteen."

"Yeah, Christian. You're all still teens. Have a little fun. I'll go score us some booze." Molnija skipped off.

"Does she do that a lot?" Christian asked.

Both Anastacia and Dimitri nodded.

**Party time! These chapters are flowing, like they do when I'm early in the story. When I go back to school, these will slow waaaaaaaaaaaay down. Thanks for reading! Please review!**


	3. Chapter 3

They all gathered in Molnija and Anastacia's lavish guest house. Molnija made good on her promise of alcohol, and they all relaxed and chatted like old friends.

Dimitri and Molnija told embarrassing stories about each other's childhoods, which all, especially Rose and Anastacia, were amused by. Anastacia told of her time at St. Vladimir's, and both Lissa and Rose were surprised to learn that she was only four years their senior. They started to remember the stories of Stacia Dalca, and Anastacia corrected many of the details of the epics. Rose and Christian bragged about their many encounters with Strigoi, which caused both Anastacia and Molnija to laugh.

"What?" Christian asked defensively. "We took down a lot of Strigoi together!"

Molnija glanced at Anastacia. "Should we show them?" She asked.

Anasatcia grinned widely. "Yours are easier to show off than mine."

Molnija rolled up the sleeve of her right arm, showing a spiral of _molnija_ marks encircling her arm. It went around nearly three times, with two _svetzda_ marks above the spiral. "Natsya has the same marks on her neck. We've gone up against a few of Strigoi ourselves."

Lissa, Christian, and Rose all sat in slack-jawed amazement.

"That's what you were doing in France, wasn't it?" Dimitri asked. "Hunting."

Molnija smiled sheepishly at him. "Yeah, well... We target the old ones, the ones that do a lot of damage. And humans. Because humans don't take kindly to people coming back from the dead."

The tortured look on Dimitri's face said it all.

Molnija went into quick Russian, her words stumbling over each other, too fast for anyone but the native speakers to catch. The look eased, and Molnija's voice took on a sassier edge. Dimitri grinned, finally, and Molnija switched back to English. "Besides, Dimka, if you were a _real_ threat, you wouldn't back down from my challenge."

"What challenge?" Rose asked.

"When I started learning to fight, I challenged Dimitri to battle me. He said he'd do me too much damage and I should wait until I could take down Strigoi first. Well," she said, directing her conversation back to Dimitri, "I've taken down a few. Fight me now."

"You're drunk, Molya."

"I'm sober enough," she responded. She hopped to her feet. "Move the furniture out of the way. Dimka and I are having our battle."

"Molya..."

"Unless you're too scared, Dimka," Molnija teased.

A determined look came into Dimitri's eyes. "Move the furniture. If Molya wants a fight, she'll get it."

Molnija laughed happily, helping move the chairs, couch, and table out of the way. Once everything was moved out of the way, Molnija took of her sweater, heels, and jewelry, standing in dark rinse boot cut jeans and a dark red camisole. She hastily tied back her long black hair.

Dimitri slid his duster off and tied his hair back. He grinned at Milnija. "You sure you don't want to back out of this, Molya?" he asked teasingly.

She responded in Russian, sounding flippant and non-complementary.

Dimitri laughed and responded in like.

Both Molnija and Anastacia laughed. Anastacia leaned over to Rose and the rest of the group. "Nija said she'd back out on a cold night in hell, and Dimitri responded she said the same thing when he found true love."

Rose blushed.

"So, Dimka, we gonna do this? Or are you going to back out because your _honor_ won't let you hurt a lady?" Molnija taunted.

"My honor does permit me from hitting a lady," Dimitri admitted. "So it should be fine, fighting you, little girl."

"Oh, Belikov, it's on," she laughed, launching herself at him.

He easily dodged, catching her about the waist and swinging her to the ground. He easily pinned her there. "And I thought this would be a fight," he said.

Molnija laughed and twisted at the waist, wrapping her legs around his. She pressed her palms flat against his chest and was somehow able to flip him over so he was the one pinned to the ground. "Took the words right out of my mouth," she teased.

He pushed her off of him, jumping back to his feet. They circled each other, Dimitri wary of her strength. "How many of those did you take down alone, Molya?"

"None. Natsya and I teamed on all of them. You think I'm so suicidal I'd try to take down a Strigoi on my own?" She snorted. "Dream on, Dimka."

He grinned. "Good. Nice to see you've matured."

She stuck her tongue out at him.

Anastacia laughed. "Or not."

"You hush, Natsya, or you're next."

"You can't take me, Neej."

"Wanna bet, shadow-girl?" Molnija shot back, eyes still glued to Dimitri. Dimitri now had his back to Anastacia.

Anastacia's face split into a grin, and she tackled Dimitri to the ground. While Dimitri struggled with her, Molnija crouched down and pressed a hand to his neck. "Dead, Dimka. I think this means I win."

"I think this means you're a cheat, Molya," Dimitri responded.

"Told you I never took an opponent on my own, Dimka," she responded, laughing.

**A little showdown never hurt anyone. Well, there's Molya's nae explained. She certainly lives up to it, doesn't she?**


	4. Chapter 4

After the party, Molnija slipped out to the bar. She slid onto a stool next to a guy who looked like he could be cute if he had put even the slightest amount of effort into his appearance. As it was, he simply looked drunk.

"Hey, cutie, you single?" Molnija said in a flirty voice, pressing up close to him.

"I am now," he responded in a dejected voice.

"Recently broken up, eh?" she said sympathetically. "Another guy?"

He nodded.

"Ouch." She snuggled closer to him. "Then buy me a drink. Flirt with me, make her _green_ with envy, know she was that to you before, but you were able to 'replace' her so quickly."

He finally turned to meet her eyes, his startling emerald eyes amused. "You know, I think I like that idea," he said, motioning to the bartender to double his drink. "You've got a twisted view of the world, don't you?"

"No more twisted than you do," Molnija responded, holding up her glass. "Skål!" she said, tossing back the drink.

"Skål?" he repeated. "What language is that?"

"It's Scandinavian. All the Scandinavian countries use it. Cheers."

He grinned, holding up his own drink. "Skål." He tossed back his drink as well.

She laughed. "Know what? I don't know your name yet."

"Adrian," he responded. "Adrian Ivashkov."

"Nice to meet you. I'm Nija Badica."

"You're the crazy Badica chick?" he asked, surprised.

She grinned, rolling up her sleeve to reveal the tattoos. "Crazy, yeah. Lethal, definitely."

His grin grew. "I think we're going to get along just fine, crazy Nija."

They spent the night tossing back drinks and chatting, both drunk enough to laugh until they cried. When the bar closed, they stumbled back to her apartment, clinging to each other for balance. As they got into the building, Rose and Dimitri were just leaving.

"Hey, Dimka!" Molnija said loudly, laughing happily. "Tolja I'm good at making my own friends."

Beside her, Adrian tensed, eyes fixed on Rose. Rose couldn't bring herself to meet his gaze. Dimitri and Molnija chatted in Russian, Dimitri sounding slightly scolding. Adrian suddenly pulled away. "sorry, Neej. I have to go." He turned to leave.

"Adrian!" She cried, stumbling a little at his abrupt absence. "Mais... Qu'est-ce que c'est passé à vert?"

He paused, then turned back to her. "You want green?" he murmured, catching her unsteady form and pulling her close. He cupped her face and kissed her deeply. After a long moment, he pulled away. "How's that for green, Nija?"

Her eyes were glazed over, a vacant smile on her lips. "Beautiful," she whispered. "You know where I'm staying, Rian. Come find me when you want. I'm always willing to go drinking with you again." She turned and kissed Dimitri on the cheek then sauntered back into the building.

Dimitri ignored her and kept his gaze on Adrian. "Be careful with her, Adrian," he warned. "Molya's unstable, even with Natsya taking care of her."

"What do you know about instability, Belikov?" He snapped.

"Adrian, please," Rose said softly.

His jaw clenched, he turned to leave.

"Oi, Rian!" Molnija called from above. "Wanna come up for a drink?"

"I think we're drunk enough, Nija," he responded.

"No such thing!" Molnija said grandly. "C'mon, time to try true Russian vodka."

"Ooh," Adrian said. "If you two will excuse me, I need to go try the kind lady's vodka." Adrian pushed past Rose and Dimitri and up the stairs to Molnija's apartment. Molnija was waiting for him with two glasses of vodka. "Helps keep the darkness at bay," she said. "I don't want it to become too much of a burden on Natsya, y'know. She has enough problems trying to keep tabs on me." She clinked her glass against his. "Sláinte." She tossed back the vodka.

Adrain mimicked her. "That's strong."

"That's Russian." Molnija flopped on the couch. "You lot are an emotional _banquet_, you know that?" She sighed, half dreamily and half annoyed. "So. It's _Roza_ you were in love with."

"Yeah." He flopped down next to her. "How do you know Dimitri?"

"Old friend. I've I known him since early grade school. I was friends with his sister first, then him when Sonya decided I was too edgy." She sighed. "You know those two are better together. You can see it. In... everything. Their eyes, their expressions, their postures, their _auras_." She stared at her shot glass. "I'm glad to see him so happy," she murmured. "He's always been so... uptight, so _formal_. She's brought out the best of him, and from his letters, I can tell she's mellowed out as well. They've both mellowed out... they complete each other. You _have_ to admit that."

"Yeah, I've noticed that. And I know... she never really got over him," Adrian admitted grudgingly. "But... she _cheated_ on me. How can I forgive that?"

"I'm not saying you should," Molnija said. "I'm just saying you should be happy for her. She's found her true love, as cheesy as that sounds. And you know, that means you still have time to find yours." She smiled softly at him.

"You know, you're following a really sober thought here," Adrian said. "Are you sure you're drunk?"

"You're right," Molnija said seriously. "More vodka." They laughed as he poured them both more shots. "But you know, drunken words are sober thoughts. Think about it. If, you know, you remember it in the morning."

He smiled at her. "Yeah. I have a feeling I'm not going to be able to forget this night."

"Alright," she said matter-of-factly. "Too serious again. Skål!" They tossed back their shots simultaneously.

**So, the foreign languages. Skål and Sláinte are Cheers, and the French means "But what about the green?" So... yeah. Hope you enjoyed, and thanks for reading!**


	5. Chapter 5

Adrian stretched, glancing around the unfamiliar room. He tried to sit up, but moaned when he realized he had a hangover. "How much did I drink last night?" he groaned.

"No more'n me, but apparently you can't hold your Russian liquor."

Adrian looked up to see Molnija offering a cocktail glass with something that didn't quite look like breakfast foods. "This early in the morning?" he asked, accepting the glass.

Molnija shrugged, silk robe slipping off her shoulder. She didn't bother to fix it. "Best cure for a hangover is more alcohol."

He grinned, sipping the drink. It wasn't strong, and the bite of alcohol was completely masked by whatever she mixed into it. He felt the hangover migraine dissipate. "There's more than just normal drinking stuff in here, isn't there?" he asked suspiciously.

She nodded. "Splash of rum, splash of vodka, splash of peach wine, bit of chocolate sauce, bit of caramel sauce, mixed and topped off with apple cider. Oh, and a touch of magic, to ease it along." She sipped at her own drink.

He glanced at the glass in his hands. Taking a sip, he detected all of the flavors she listed off, somehow mixing harmoniously. Must be the magic. "What did you specialize in?" he asked.

"Haven't you figured it out yet?" she asked, amused. "I specialized in Spirit, Rian. Just like you."

"Huh." A few of the things she'd said the night before finally clicked. "You knew?"

She shrugged. "Yeah. But I could see you aren't bonded. So the darkness... it sticks to you. Your aura... it's almost as dark as that of a Kissed person." Her eyes glazed over, as if she were seeing another world entirely. "It's kinda scary, actually. She seriously broke you, didn't she? But you have to admit... you _do_ know she's not the one for you. She doesn't truly understand you... nor do you her. And that's what's important."

"Yeah. Doesn't stop it from hurting, though." Adrian was sullen at the turn in conversation.

Molnija noticed and snapped out of her reverie. Grinning, she sat cross-legged on the couch next to him. "So. What can you do?"

He grinned at her understanding and turned to face her.

XxXxX

That was how Anastacia found them when she came in several hours later. "You two are drunk," she said bluntly, as soon as she came in the door.

"Not drunk," Molnija responded immediately. "Slightly buzzed, perhaps, but not drunk. We're just having a good time, Natsya. Y'know, like we used to in those bars back before you got married?"

Anastacia stuck her tongue out at her friend. "Do you think Cass would come down here if I called him?" she asked, slightly unsure.

"Cass would get on the plane as soon as you said where you were," Molnija said dryly. "The boy is _whipped_."

"He is _not_ whipped!" Anastacia responded immediately. "We're _married_, Neej. It's what _married people_ do."

"Uh, no. What 'married people' do is avoid each other at all costs and have sex once every four to six weeks. You two mate like bunnies. I'm surprised you don't already have a brood."

Adrian burst out laughing. "That's cold, Nija."

"But true, which is why you're laughing."

Adrian laughed harder.

Anastacia plopped down in the armchair, cracking open a soda. "What're you two drinking?" she asked.

"My special anti-hangover brew," Molnija responded.

Anastacia looked at Adrian. "You know there's compulsion in that, right?"

"And healing," Molnija said, wounded.

"You can do that?' Adrain asked, amazed.

"Yeah. It's really easy. The compulsion makes you forget about the pain and the healing actually makes the pain go away. It takes a bit longer, which is why the compulsion's there to keep you from thinking about it."

"That's really clever, actually," Adrian said.

Molnija grinned at Anastacia.

"Whatever. Oh-" Anastacia reached into her pocket. "Summons from Lissa, for the both of you. In about an hour. I'd suggest you two get cleaned up."

Molnija unfolded herself from the couch. "Fine. I'll go get dressed. And I was hoping today would be a lounging day," she said as she sauntered to her room. "See you there, Rian?" she called over her shoulder.

"Of course," he responded.

Anastacia stopped him as he turned to leave. "Be careful with Nija," she warned.

"Why is everyone telling me that?" Adrian snapped.

"Because. She's different. Did she tell you about what she can do with Spirit?"

"Yeah..."

"Did she tell you that she's an empath too? That dark emotions energize her? Did she tell you _that's_ why she spends so much time hunting Strigoi, because their hatred and anger and... darkness can keep her energized for the longest time?"

Adrian was silent.

"Didn't think so." She stood as well. "Just... be careful, Adrian. Not because _you're_ dangerous... but because _she_ is." She turned and walked to the window, pulling out a cellphone and dialing.

**Well? What do you think of this little budding romance? Review, and let me know! Thanks for reading!**


End file.
